Finding the Appropriate Newsgroup

Introduction

This text is for internet users, who want to learn how to find the correct newsgroup.
Sometimes it is difficult to find the right news group, and this page is created to help people on their search for the best possible Usenet group. This page doesn't contain all the possible newsgroups, only a list of few examples.

What is a Newsgroup?

A newsgroup is part of the Usenet news system. Newsgroup is a discussion that takes place online, devoted to a particular topic. The discussion takes the form of electronic messages called "postings" (or articles) that anyone with a newsreader can post or read.

Where can I post ...

- advertisements?
- biz.marketplace, misc.forsale.

- newbie questions?
- news.groups.questions, news.newusers.questions, alt.newbie, alt.newbies, alt.usenet.newbies.

- nonsense messages?
- alt.alt.

- test messages?
- alt.test, misc.test, comp.test. There are also regional newsgroups.

Where can I read ...

- newsgroup FAQs?
- comp.answers.

- newsgroup reviews?
- news.groups.reviews.

Where can I discuss about ...

- animals?
- alt.animals, alt.pets, rec.animals.wildlife.

- AOL?
- alt.aol, alt.internet.providers.uk.aol, alt.online-service.america-online, aol.newsgroups.help.

- art?
- rec.arts, alt.art.

- Bible?
- alt.bible, alt.religion.christian.biblestudy, soc.religion.christian.bible-study.

- business?
- biz, alt.business.

- cars?
- alt.autos, alt.cars.

- CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW?
- comp.publish.cdrom.hardware, comp.publish.cdrom.multimedia, comp.publish.cdrom.software, alt.comp.periphs.cdr.

- cellular and mobile phones?
- alt.cellular, alt.cellular.gsm.

- chemistry?
- sci.chem.

- collecting?
- alt.collecting, rec.collecting.

- comics?
- alt.comics, rec.arts.comics.misc.

- creationism and evolution?
- alt.talk.creationism, talk.origins.

- compression, packing and archiving?
- comp.compression, alt.comp.compression.

- computer/operating system?
- comp.sys, comp.os, alt.os, alt.comp, comp.sys.amiga.misc, comp.sys.amstrad.8bit, comp.sys.atari, comp.sys.laptops, comp.sys.macintosh, comp.os.msdos, comp.sys.msx, comp.sys.sinclair, comp.sys.sun.misc, comp.os.linux, alt.linux, alt.os.linux, comp.unix. See also Windows.

- culture?
- alt.culture, soc.culture.misc.

- DVD?
- rec.video.dvd.

- education?
- alt.education, misc.education.

- English language?
- sci.lang, alt.english.usage, alt.usage.english, misc.education.language.english.

- food?
- alt.food, rec.food.

- free news servers?
- alt.free.newsservers.

- games?
- rec.games, alt.games, comp.games.development.

- game consoles?
- rec.games.video.nintendo, rec.games.video.sega, rec.games.video.sony, microsoft.public.xbox, alt.games.video.nintendo, alt.games.video.sony-playstation2, alt.games.video.sony-playstation3, alt.games.video.xbox, uk.games.video.nintendo, uk.games.video.playstation, uk.games.video.xbox.

- Geocities home pages?
- alt.homepages.geocities.

- GNU?
- gnu.misc.discuss.

- Google?
- google.public.support.general, comp.internet.services.google, alt.comp.google, alt.fan.dejanews.

- graphics?
- comp.graphics.

- hardware?
- comp.hardware.

- health?
- alt.health, misc.health.

- history?
- soc.history, alt.history.

- home page creation / design?
- alt.html, news.newusers.questions, alt.homepages.designtips.uk.

- jobs?
- misc.jobs, comp.jobs.

- journalism?
- alt.journalism.

- languages?
- alt.language, alt.languages.

- literature and books?
- humanities, alt.books.

- mailreaders?
- comp.mail.misc, comp.mail.

- mathematics?
- sci.math, alt.sci.math.

- Microsoft Internet Explorer?
- microsoft.public.windows.inetexplorer, microsoft.public.internetexplorer, microsoft.public.mac.explorer.

- Microsoft Office?
- microsoft.public.office.

- Microsoft Outlook?
- microsoft.public.outlook, microsoft.public.windows.inetexplorer.ie6_outlookexpress.

- Microsoft Windows?
- See Windows.

- Microsoft Windows Media Player?
- microsoft.public.windowsmedia.player.

- Microsoft Word?
- microsoft.public.word.

- modems?
- comp.modems, alt.net.and.modem.

- monitors and video cards?
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video.

- motorcycles?
- alt.motorcycles, rec.motorcycles.

- movies?
- alt.movies, rec.arts.movies.misc.

- Mozilla?
- netscape.public.mozilla.general, alt.fan.mozilla.

- multimedia?
- comp.multimedia.

- music?
- rec.music, comp.music.misc, alt.music.

- netiquette?
- news.groups.questions, news.newusers.questions, microsoft.public.netiquette.

- Netscape Navigator / Messenger / Composer?
- netscape.public.general, alt.netscape.

- networking?
- comp.networks, uk.comp.home-networking, comp.os.linux.networking, comp.os.ms-windows.networking, comp.os.os2.networking, comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.networking, microsoft.public.win95.networking, microsoft.public.win98.networking, microsoft.public.windowsme.networking, microsoft.public.win2000.networking.

- newsgroup creation / removal / moderation / splitting?
- news.groups, news.groups.proposals, alt.config, alt.how.to.create.a.newsgroup.

- newsgroup hierarchies?
- news.admin.hierarchies.

- newspapers?
- alt.journalism.newspapers.

- newsreaders?
- news.software.readers.

- newsservers?
- alt.free.newsservers.

- Opera (web browser)?
- opera.general.

- philosophy?
- talk.philosophy, alt.philosophy.

- physics?
- sci.physics, alt.sci.physics.

- politics?
- alt.politics, talk.politics, soc.politics.

- printers?
- comp.periphs.printers.

- programming?
- comp.programming, comp.lang, alt.lang, comp.lang.ada, comp.lang.asm.x86, comp.lang.basic.misc, comp.lang.c, comp.lang.c++, comp.lang.cobol, comp.lang.fortran, comp.lang.javascript, comp.lang.lisp, comp.lang.pascal, comp.lang.perl, comp.lang.python, alt.sources.

- protocols?
- comp.protocols.

- psychology?
- alt.psychology, sci.psychology.misc.

- radio?
- alt.radio, rec.radio.

- religion?
- talk.religion.misc, alt.religion, soc.religion.

- scanners?
- comp.periphs.scanners.

- science?
- sci, alt.sci.

- search engines?
- alt.internet.search-engines, comp.infosystems.search, alive.internet.www.search-engines.

- security?
- alt.security.

- shareware and freeware?
- alt.comp.shareware, alt.comp.freeware, comp.software.shareware.

- sound cards?
- comp.sys.ibm.pc.soundcard.misc.

- spam?
- news.admin.net-abuse.email, news.admin.net-abuse.sightings.

- sports?
- rec, alt.sport.

- support for technical problems?
- 24hoursupport.helpdesk.

- television?
- alt.tv, rec.arts.tv.

- text editors?
- comp.editors.

- topic X?
- news.groups.questions.

- travelling?
- alt.travel, rec.travel.misc.

- Usenet?
- news.misc.

- virus?
- comp.virus, alt.comp.virus, alt.comp.anti-virus. There are also newsgroups for certain antivirus products.

- weather?
- alt.talk.weather, sci.geo.meteorology.

- web browsers?
- comp.infosystems.www.browsers.

- websites?
- comp.internet.net-happenings, alt.websites, alt.www.sites.

- Windows?
- microsoft.public.win3x_wfw_dos, microsoft.public.win95.general.discussion, microsoft.public.win98.general.discussion, microsoft.public.windowsme.general, microsoft.public.windowsnt, microsoft.public.win2000, microsoft.public.windowsxp.general, microsoft.public.windows.server, microsoft.public.windowsce, comp.os.ms-windows, comp.os.ms-windows.win95.misc, comp.os.ms-windows.nt.misc, comp.os.ms-windows.ce, alt.os.windows95, alt.os.windows2000, alt.os.windows-xp, alt.windows, alt.windows95, alt.windows98, alt.win98, alt.windows-me, alt.windows-w2k, alt.windows-xp.

Newsgroup Lists and Directories

Harley Hahn's Master List of Usenet Newsgroups
TILE.NET
Google Directory: Computers > Usenet
Yahoo! Directory: Usenet > Newsgroup Directories
Authoritative active file

News Readers and News Servers

DMOZ: Usenet Clients
Windows Newsreaders
DMOZ: Usenet News Servers
DISENTER: Free News Servers

Introduction to Usenet

What is Usenet?
An Introduction to Usenet News and the trn Newsreader

Netiquettes for Newsgroups

The Core Rules of Netiquette
Netiquette Guidelines (RFC 1855)
Rules for posting to Usenet

Newsgroup FAQs

Internet FAQ Archives
Google.public.support.general FAQ
Utrecht CS News.Answers FAQ Access Methods

Acronyms and Jargon

The Internet Acronym Server
Acronym Search
The Jargon File
Free On-Line Dictionary Of Computing

Dictionaries and Encyclopedias

Dictionary.com
Answers.com
Wikipedia
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia.com
TechEncyclopedia

Last modified: June 15th, 2009

Author: Tomi Häsä (tomi.hasa@gmail.com)

URL: http://sites.google.com/site/findnewsgroup/

Copyright 2002—2009: Tomi Häsä